The Social Media Committee develops and implements a social media strategy to raise awareness around and promote IARS initiatives, resources, programs and membership to the broader global anesthesiology community via social media.

Time Commitment and Expectations:

• Three hours per month plus three meetings per year – approximately 30 hours per year. Additional meetings may be required as new members are onboarded.
• The committee meets formally three times per year – 1) virtually via Zoom Jan/Feb in the winter, 2) at the IARS Annual Meeting in April/May via a hybrid format (in person and via Zoom), and 3) virtually via Zoom Sept/Oct.
• Additional meetings will be scheduled as needed to address relevant issues that arise during the year.

Term:

The Social Media Committee Member term is three years.

Committee Board Liaison

Shahzad Shaefi, MD, MPH

Vice Chair, Professional Affairs, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine; Co-Director, ECMO Services, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Board of Directors, HMFP; Affiliate Member Broad Institute of MIT/ Harvard; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Committee Co-Chairs

Pudkrong Aichholz, MD

Assistant Professor, University of Washington,
Seattle, WA

Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Dr. Pudkrong Aichholz earned her medical degree at Chulalongkorn University before moving to the United States to complete a fellowship in Trauma Anesthesia at Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington. She went on to join the faculty there, where she is now an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and serves as Section Head of Anesthesia for Spine Surgery. Her work brings together her longstanding interests in trauma resuscitation, trauma anesthesia, and complex spine surgery, with a focus on improving patient outcomes in some of the most challenging clinical settings.

Mika M. Rockholt, MD, PhD

​Staff Physician
NYU Langone Health
New York, NY

Dr. Mika M. Rockholt, originally from Sweden, earned her medical degree from the University of Barcelona in Spain and completed her residency in anesthesiology and intensive care at Lund University Hospital in Sweden, where she also obtained a PhD in Medicine. Driven by her commitment to academic excellence, she currently serves as a staff physician at NYU Grossman School of Medicine/NYU Langone Health. Her research focuses on pain management and anesthesia in elderly patients. Fluent in seven languages, Dr. Rockholt is an avid traveler, passionate diver and long-distance runner.

Committee Members

Olivier Duranteau, MD, PhD, MSc

Hôpital d’Instruction des Armées Percy,
Clamart, France; and
Research Fellow,
Department of Anesthesiology at Erasme Hospital,
Université Libre de Bruxelles,
Brussels, Belgium

Olivier Duranteau, MD, PhD, MSc, is a military physician at the Hôpital d’Instruction des Armées Percy in France and a research fellow in the Department of Anesthesiology at Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. He holds a PhD focused on machine learning applications in transfusion medicine, along with an MD and an MSc in medical statistics.

His research interests include transfusion medicine, artificial intelligence and the methodological evaluation of data quality prior to predictive model development. He has contributed to numerous research projects as a statistical expert, particularly in the fields of anesthesiology and critical care, with a strong focus on model validation and the integration of real-world data into clinical decision-making tools.

In 2026, he will be joining the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto (Canada), where he will continue his clinical and research activities in anesthesiology, perioperative and critical care medicine.

Anju Gupta, MD, DNB, MNAMS, IDRA, EDRA, PGCCHM, CEPC, FIAPA

Associate Professor
Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),
New Delhi, India

Dr. Anju Gupta received her medical undergraduate and postgraduate training from Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi, India. She has over 20 years of experience in teaching and clinical practice as a faculty member in Anesthesiology. She is also an instructor for PPLS course (ASPA), Safe Kids course (WFSA), ACLS, ATLS & PTC Courses.

She was the first representative from India in the ESRA International Executive Committee. She is an executive member/office bearer of three national societies: AORA, IAPA national (currently treasurer), and NAS (ex-founder secretary). She is an Associate Editor for various reputed journals, including International Journal of Regional Anaesthesia (AORA), JMCR and Frontiers Paediatrics and Assistant Editor for JOACP, in addition to being on the Editorial Board for several others. She is an international editor at Nepal Journal of Anesthesia. She is the editor of 4 prestigious books, including the South Asian edition of Clinical Anesthesia by Barash, Dorsh & Dorsh, Airway Manual and Procedures in Anaesthesia and reviewer for Stoelting’s Coexisting Diseases. She has published more than 250 articles in various reputed journals, and more than 40 book chapters. She is the recipient the “Best Reviewer Award” by IJA in 2022 and IJCA in 2023, the Professor “MK DEY AWARD” by the Indian College of Anesthesiologists in 2024, and “Professor Anil Aggarwal Best Researcher National Award” (UP ISACON) among several others.

She was declared “Woman Pioneer and Innovator” from India by WFSA for her outstanding contributions in anesthesia. She is on the education board of NYSORA, and an international faculty at World Pain Academy. Her main areas of interest include ultrasound guided nerve blocks, pediatric regional anesthesia and pain management, airway management, and skill training.

Patrick Ishimwe

Resident
Africa Health Sciences University
Kigali, Rwanda

Dr. Patrick Ishimwe is a dedicated healthcare professional from Rwanda with over four years of experience in clinical practice, community health, and medical advocacy. He received his Medical Degree from University of Rwanda, and is now pursuing a Master of Medicine in Anesthesiology and Critical Care at Africa Health Sciences University and an online MSc in Clinical Management of Pain at the University of Edinburgh through The Commonwealth Scholarship, focusing on perioperative, critical care and pain management in low-resource settings.

In 2020, he founded the Bazamuganga Health Initiative, a non-profit aimed at raising health awareness and education in low-income communities. The organization tackles diseases, raises outbreak awareness, and improves health access. In 2023, Dr. Ishimwe secured a WHO small grant to organize World Hearing Day locally, providing education, screenings, and training for local health workers.

His professional experience includes roles as a General Practitioner in public and private facilities, where he managed consultations, emergencies, and rural outreach programs. He notably contributed to breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment initiatives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ishimwe played a vital role in Rwanda’s HIV/AIDS fight, leading a team in the Case-Based Surveillance project. He has been also recognized for innovation in healthcare technology with his Team, winning the I&M Bank #IMPushtostart competition in 2019 for a project on electronic medical records management.

Justin James, BA

Third Year Medical Student
Penn State College of Medicine
Hershey, PA

Justin James is a third-year medical student at Penn State College of Medicine. His research integrates anesthesiology, neuroscience, and pain medicine to better understand how cortical neural networks mediate pain perception and relief. He uses minimally invasive brain imaging to study pain modulation during regional anesthesia and has developed a deep-learning platform for standardized behavioral analysis in preclinical pain and analgesia models.

His work has been nationally recognized, including selection for the Best Abstract Session at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting and recipient of the 2025 American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Graduate Student Research Award, the organization’s highest-ranked national student grant.

Beyond research, Justin serves as Co-Leader and Mentorship Program Lead of FutureAnesRes, a national student-led initiative that leverages social media to guide future anesthesiology applicants through mentorship, outreach, and educational programming.

Justin’s long-term goal is to advance personalized pain medicine by improving how pain is measured and developing multimodal, mechanism-driven therapeutics that translate insights from brain circuitry into patient-centered care.

Kenneth John, MD

Anesthesiologist and Intensivist,
Shands Hospital; University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL

Dr. Kenneth John is an Anesthesiologist and Intensivist at the University of Florida, Shands Hospital. Prior to his move to Florida, Dr. John completed the majority of his academic journey in the Northeast. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in molecular genetics at the University of Vermont. After this, he traveled to Penn State Hershey for medical school and also completed his intern year in Internal Medicine at Hershey Medical Center. He then finished up his medical training with a residency in Anesthesiology at Rhode Island Hospital followed by a fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. During his residency training, Dr. John became interested in online medical education and began making short instructional videos on anesthesiology and critical care medicine under the handle @keywordsxkenny on various social media outlets. His clinical interests include point-of-care ultrasound, cardiac mechanical support, and incorporating AI into his teaching methods with residents and medical students. Outside of medicine, Dr. John enjoys spending time with his family and golden doodle “Hershey,” playing golf, and traveling to explore new cultures and taste new flavors.

Natalie Jane Koons, DO

Resident Physician, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine,
Stanford University School of Medicine,
Stanford, CA

Dr. Natalie Koons is an anesthesiology resident at Stanford Health Care. She received her medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Internal Medicine internship at Stanford Health Care. Dr. Koons is a current FARM Research Scholar through the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine and is interested in critical care/cardiac obstetric anesthesiology. She is the current President for the ASA Resident Component Governing Council and has a particular interest in the professional development of trainees and advocacy in anesthesiology. She serves as an Associate Editor and Resident Liaison for OpenAnesthesia® and has also been a social media ambassador for Anesthesia & Analgesia. Dr. Koons is passionate about clinical outcomes research, mentorship, and physician well-being.

Jenny E. Pennycuff, MD, MS

Associate Professor
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

Dr. Jenny Pennycuff is a board-certified Anesthesiologist, and holds an undergraduate degree from Rice University, where she excelled as a track and field athlete. She went on to earn a Masters in Medical Science at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, followed by a Doctor of Medicine degree at Texas A&M Health Science Center. She completed her residency in anesthesia at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Dr. Pennycuff currently serves as an Associate Professor and Co-Vice Chair of Education and Development in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her professional interests include medical education innovation, mentorship, and advancing diversity and inclusion within anesthesiology.

Jarna Shah, MD

Anesthesia & Analgesia Representative
Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, AR

Dr. Jarna Shah received her Bachelor of Arts in biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her medical degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. She then completed her fellowship in interventional pain management at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2020, Dr. Shah joined the faculty at UAMS, where she serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology. She primarily focuses on multimodal pain management using minimally invasive procedures, spinal cord stimulation, and vertebral augmentation. Her specific research interests include neuromodulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, obstetric related chronic pain, and medical education.

Emily E. Sharpe, MD

Anesthesia & Analgesia Representative
Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine,
Program Director, Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship,
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN

Emily E. Sharpe, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. She completed medical school at the University of Minnesota, anesthesiology residency at Mayo Clinic, and an obstetric anesthesiology fellowship at Wake Forest School of Medicine. She is the program director for the Mayo Clinic Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship.

Her research interests include optimizing pain control and enhanced recovery after cesarean delivery and improving outcomes in the obstetric patient. She is actively involved in the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology and is a Social Media Editor for Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Claudia Marquez Simões, MD, PhD, MBA

Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo
Serviços Médicos de Anestesia
President elect SAESP – São Paulo State Society of Anesthesiology 
São Paulo, Brazil

Dr. Claudia Marquez Simões is an anesthesiologist and intensivist based in São Paulo, Brazil. She completed most of her academic training in anesthesiology at the Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (HC-FMUSP), where she has been affiliated since her residency and continues her professional activities to this day.

She earned her PhD with a focus on postoperative complications and intensive care unit demand among oncological patients. Deeply committed to medical education from the very beginning of her career, Claudia has served as the Program Director of the Anesthesiology Residency Program at Hospital Sírio-Libanês since 2005.

She is particularly passionate about mentoring young physicians and supporting their development within the field of anesthesiology. In addition, she has a strong interest in technology and digital educational resources. Her professional interests include innovation in medical education, mentorship, diversity and gender equity, and well-being in anesthesiology.

Guriqbal Singh, MBBS, MD, DNB, DM, DESAIC, MNAMS

Clinical Fellow in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical Care
St. Bartholomews Hospital
London, United Kingdom

Dr. Guriqbal Singh is a Clinical Fellow in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical Care at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London. He previously served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiac Anaesthesiology at U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, in Ahmedabad, India. His clinical interests include cardiothoracic anesthesia, critical care, transesophageal echocardiography, and patient safety. Dr. Singh has authored more than 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals and is an active member of several professional societies, including the Royal College of Anaesthetists, Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. He also serves on the SCA Newsletter Sub-committee and EACTAIC ERACS Sub-committee.

Eugene Tuyishime, MBBS, MMed, MSc

Anesthesia, Pain Management, and Perioperative Medicine Department, Dalhousie University, Saint John Campus, 
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Program Director Assistant for Research, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Emergency Medicine, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda

Dr. Eugene Tuyishime is currently an anesthesiologist at Saint John Regional hospital with affiliation with Dalhousie University, Canada and the University of Rwanda. Prior to this position, Dr. Tuyishime was a faculty of anesthesiology and Program Director Assistant for Research in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Emergency Medicine at the University of Rwanda.

Dr. Tuyishime has obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Rwanda in 2013, his Master of Global Health Delivery from the University of Global Health Equity/Rwanda in 2017, and his MMed in Anesthesiology from the University of Rwanda in 2019.

On top of his specialty training, Dr. Tuyishime has completed subspecialty training in Medical Simulation from Ohio Health, Ohio, in 2020, Perioperative Medicine from the University of Toronto in 2021, and an Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship at Western University in June 2024.

Dr. Tuyishime has led multiple funded research projects in the last six years with a focus on using implementation science methods to improve the quality of anesthesia, perioperative, and resuscitation care in Rwandan public hospitals.

In addition, Dr. Tuyishime has published more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals, presented in multiple national and international conferences, and he is a member of multiple committees for national and international professional organizations such as the World Federation Society of Anesthesiologist (WFSA) Wellness Committee and International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) Social Media Committee.

Furthermore, Dr. Tuyishime has co-founded the Initiative for Medical Equity and Global Health (IMEGH), a teaching organization providing resuscitation courses for healthcare providers working in district hospitals across Rwanda reaching more than 1,800 health workers in the last six years. His work in Rwanda has been awarded the 2024 WFSA rising star award. View his interview.

Uchenna O. Umeh, MD, FASA, FASRA

Attending Anesthesiologist, Hospital for Special Surgery;
Assistant Professor, Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

 Dr. Uchenna O. Umeh is a board-certified attending anesthesiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Clinical assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. She completed her residency at Westchester Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Dr. Umeh’s research interests include regional anesthesiology, acute pain management, healthcare equity and inclusion, and strategies to reduce variances in care for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. Her long-term goal is to evaluate how regional anesthesia and various pain management modalities can reduce the risk of developing persistent postsurgical pain syndromes. She is also committed to investigating gender, racial and ethnic differences in the postoperative pain experience and improving the representation of underrepresented populations in clinical research.

In addition to her clinical and research work, Dr. Umeh is deeply invested in medical education and mentorship, actively supporting the development of medical students, residents, and fellows.

Theodora Wingert, MD

Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology,
Divisions of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Bioinformatics and Perioperative Analytics,
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine,
Director of Perioperative Informatics Research and Co-Director of the Informatics Division,
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Theodora Wingert is an Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, in the divisions of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Bioinformatics and Perioperative Analytics at the UCLA Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. She completed medical school, residency, and fellowships in both Pediatric Anesthesiology and Clinical Informatics at UCLA. She currently serves as Director of Perioperative Informatics Research and Co-Director of the Informatics Division. Her research focuses on applying data science tools and advanced analytics to better understand and reduce perioperative risks in children and adults. She has received numerous honors for her research contributions, and her work in both pediatric and adult perioperative outcomes has been published in several high-impact journals, including A&A, BJA, and others. In 2025, she was awarded the FAER Mentored Research Training Grant for her study on the Prediction of Pediatric Postoperative Complications Using Waveform and Electronic Health Record Data.